“Election Reform” at Eckhaus Latta, Adidas at Alexander Wang, and More New York Fashion Week Day 4 Headlines

If the sheer number of essays titled “Why I Left New York” has you thinking the city is past its prime, think again. A crop of young designers is proving that the Big Apple is still at its creative best. Early Saturday afternoon, Eckhaus Latta championed artistic spirit with a political edge—parts of the collection were embroidered with the phrase “Election Reform”—while the day closed with a spirited and streetwise collection from Alexander Wang that culminated with the reveal of a secret Adidas Originals collab and a rager of a party complete with a pop-up McDonald’s.

In between, Adam Lippes spiced up his always-chic collection with flashes of bright color, Christian Siriano embraced runway diversity, and Dion Lee, an Australian upstart, made a permanent move to New York City. The biggest endorsement of American fashion, however, came courtesy of the Diane von Furstenberg brand, now under the creative direction to Jonathan Saunders. In his first collection as chief creative officer, Saunders reworked and reimagined the house’s iconic wrap dress, giving it a floatier silhouette to befit the modern woman’s emphasis on ease. You’ll see them everywhere next Spring.

Baja East Had the Week’s First Best PartyBaja East’s after-party had everything: Minions, Naomi Campbell, a performance by Rae Sremmurd, and banana-print underwear. The only thing it didn’t have? Air-conditioning. All the better to get that natural dewy glow.

Eckhaus Latta Took a Turn for the MainstreamEn route to Eckhaus Latta’s Spring 2017 show, a friend asked me to explain the brand I was ditching breakfast to go see. “It’s like shards of fabric falling off bodies,” I candidly replied, referencing the deconstructed and dishabille modes of Eckhaus Latta collections past. This season, I was proven delightfully wrong by the designers, who took their vision to a more wearable level while still maintaining their transfixing point of view. This all came together swimmingly in a pair of high-rise jeans that were normal from the front, only to have a coral shirt trailing from their pocket. Weird? Yes, but practically so.

Fashion Got Political“Take Down Trump” read a maxi dress at Namilia’s Spring 2017 show. “Election Reform” was the message at Eckhaus Latta. “Mind Detergent” read a series of sweatshirts at Alexander Wang, which is only charged in the sense that it’s what you might need after watching coverage of this election. All this to say that the collections this season aren’t afraid to take on politics.

Christian Siriano Celebrates DiversityModels of all shapes, sizes, and ethnicities took to the runway at Christian Siriano this afternoon, making the designer one of a select few who put plus-size models on the catwalk. (Chromat is another that has long championed all female forms.) For Siriano, the choice to cast a range of women was not simply for the sake of being PC—his actual clients, many of which were sitting front row, range from the voluptuous Christina Hendricks to the sylphlike Coco Rocha to the petite and pregnant Leigh Lezark.

Ladylike Dressing Underwent Several MakeoversNew York is the hometown of a certain brand of unfussy, chic dressing that favors solid color silk dresses and wide-leg trousers. Good news for New York women, then, that designers far and wide are continuing to rework New York classics. Adam Lippes hosted a vibrant presentation in his Washington Square home this morning, showing off a slinky, cerulean knit dress, while Tibi designer Amy Smilovic continued her mission to create everydaywear with a sense of joy, turning to pops of neon and miniature corset belts for a little extra panache. Dion Lee, Jonathan Simkhai, and Diane von Furstenberg (now under creative weigh of Jonathan Saunders) also fleshed out the wardrobe of the modern New Yorker with mod minis (Lee), sexy dance dresses (Simkhai), and a new take on the American classic, the wrap dress (DVF).

Alexander Wang Revealed a Secret CollabBike shorts and shirting-inspired minidresses were the story at Alexander Wang. But the runway is but one component of the overall Wang experience. This season, the extras included a wild after-party that allowed guests to spray-paint a Lexus and snack on Mickey D’s and a surprise collaboration with Adidas Originals that was being sold out of flatbed trucks on the spot. Watching sales clerks swipe credit cards by the second, you got the sense that this was see-now-buy-now perfected.